A New Life
by Anna is Amazing
Summary: AU. On the way back from a diplomatic mission, Elsa sees a girl floating adrift in the ocean. Her name is Anna and Elsa takes her home to Arendelle where she can start a new life. (Not related and NOT Elsanna). Formerly a one-shot, now a continuing story.
1. Chapter 1

Elsa paced in front of the door awaiting the health of the girl they had just rescued.

Elsa had been standing at the edge of the boat admiring the scenery when something caught her eye. At first, she thought it was just a piece of driftwood and she paid no attention to it, but upon closer inspection she realized there was a person on it!

She informed the captain of her discovery and they pulled the girl onto the boat. Elsa only got a glimpse of the girl before she was rushed off to the infirmary.

Now Elsa was pacing at the entrance to the infirmary, waiting for the doctors to come out and tell her of the girl's condition.

Elsa didn't know why she was so concerned about a stranger but something about this girl just made her do so. She wanted to nurse this girl back to health and reunite her with her family.

"Queen Elsa." A voice broke into her thoughts and she looked up to find the doctor staring at her. "The girl is awake now but she refuses to tell us who she is. She's cowering under the blankets, maybe you can calm her down."

"What? Me? I don't think that's a good idea." Elsa said.

"Can you at least try?"

Elsa didn't know how to argue with that so she obliged and went in to see the girl. She saw her small body shaking under the blankets. She asked everyone to leave and sat on the edge of the bed.

She placed a hand on the girl's shoulder.

"Go away! I-I don't want to talk to you!" The girl said.

Elsa sensed her fear. "Hey don't worry, I'm not going to hurt you." Elsa pulled the blankets back to reveal the girl's face. She had soft blue eyes that were full of fear and confusion. There were freckles sprinkled across her nose and cheeks and her strawberry blonde hair was matted against her head.

She seemed to relax when she saw Elsa staring at her and not one of the doctors.

"Hi, my name is Elsa, what's your name?" Elsa asked.

"A-Anna." She croaked out. "My name is Anna."

"Anna? That's a pretty name." Anna smiled at the compliment. "So," Elsa had a lot of questions she wanted to ask Anna but she decided to start small. "How old are you?"

"I'm 17, I'll be 18 in a few days."

"Well happy early birthday."

"Can you take me back home?"

"Sure, where do you live?"

"On an island."

Elsa raised her eyebrow at that response. "What's the name of the island."

"I don't know. I call it home."

"Do you live there with your parents?"

"No. Not anymore. They passed away two years ago."

"So you've been living alone on an island for two years?"

Anna nodded. "Can you take me back?"

"Why do you want to go back?"

Anna shrugged. "I just do."

"What if I told you that you could come back with me? You could have a better life. You wouldn't have to worry about where your next meal would come from and you wouldn't have to be alone."

"Where do you live?"

"In Arendelle. Have you ever heard of it?"

"No."

"Well it's a great place."

"If I go with you, will you put me in the orphanage?"

"No of course not! You can stay with me."

"What if there's not enough room for me?"

"Oh trust me, there's enough room."

So when they got to Arendelle, Anna was in for a real surprise when she found out Elsa lived in the castle.

"Whoa! You live in a castle?!" She asked as she looked around, admiring the decorations. "Does that mean you're the princess or something?"

"Nope." Elsa said as she smirked. "I'm the queen."

Anna gasped. "You're the queen?! Does that mean I have to call you Queen Elsa or Your Majesty?"

Elsa laughed. "No, please don't. Just call me Elsa."

"Are you sure?"

"Yes, I'm positive."

Gerda rushed over. "Hello Queen Elsa, how was the trip?"

"It was fine." Elsa said.

Gerda noticed Anna hiding behind Elsa. "Who's this?" She asked.

"Oh this is Anna." Elsa gently pushed Anna in front of her. "We found her drifting in the ocean."

Gerda raised a hand to her mouth and gasped. "Why you poor little thing! Do you have any family?" Anna shook her head. "So you've been on your own?" Anna nodded. "Well you are welcome to stay here. When is the last time you had a bath?" Anna cocked her head to the side and gave Gerda a confused look.

Gerda chuckled. "I guess it's been a while. Come with me, dear."

Anna looked at Elsa then back at Gerda. "Can Elsa come?"

"Yes she can, if she wants to." Gerda said.

Anna looked at Elsa with pleading eyes and Elsa gave in. "Fine I'll come." At first, Elsa was reluctant to watch Gerda bathe Anna but when Anna freaked out when a bubble popped on her face, Elsa was glad she stayed.

Almost everyone warmed up to Anna fast. Her high spirits and cheerful attitude had everyone smiling and laughing when they were around her. A few people found it disrespectful when Anna addressed Elsa by her name and not her title.

Other people found themselves jealous at the love and attention Anna was getting from Elsa while everyone else found it cute and endearing.

Elsa learned quickly that Anna was stubborn. Very stubborn. She refused to wear shoes, even when she went outside. When Elsa hired a private tutor to teach Anna how to read and write, Anna stomped her foot and refused to listen. She even turned down the offer for her own room and opted to sleep on the floor beside Elsa's bed.

But a little persuasion from Elsa and soon Anna was wearing shoes, learning the alphabet and jumping up and down on her bed in her new room.

On the day of Anna's birthday Elsa was bursting with excitement. She had the perfect present for Anna.

Ever since day one, Anna had been talking to Elsa about the island she called home. She would talk about the trees she slept in and the rivers she swam in. She'd talk about the animals she became friends with and the ones she climbed trees to escape from.

Whenever Anna talked about her home Elsa would write down every word she said. Then she searched through countless books until she found the island that perfectly met the description Anna had given her.

And now that very same island was being painted on Anna's bedroom wall. When the painters were done Elsa thanked them and went to find Anna.

She had left Anna with Gerda and asked her to keep Anna busy, but Gerda had trouble keeping up with the energetic redhead. Anna eventually escaped from Gerda's line of vision and ran off looking for Elsa.

"Elsie!" Anna said when she saw Elsa.

Elsa smiled fondly when she heard the nickname Anna had given her. "I thought I told you to stay with Gerda." She said.

Anna laughed nervously. "Yeah, but I got away from her."

Elsa rolled her eyes playfully. "Come on, I have something to show you."

Elsa walked Anna to her room and Anna gasped when she caught sight of the mural on her wall. Anna ran in and started pointing to random places. "This is where I built my first treehouse and this is where I used to fish with my Papa before, you know, he died."

Elsa watched in amusement and fascination as Anna showed her all the places she had been and lived in, which was just about everywhere.

"Wow you know the island like the back of your hand." Elsa said.

"Yeah I do. Do you think I'll ever be able to go back one day?" Anna asked.

"I'm sure you will."

As Anna looked back at the mural Elsa remembered there was something else she wanted to show Anna, something he had been contemplating over ever since she met Anna.

"Anna?" Elsa asked, getting Anna's attention. "I have something I want to show you, but please promise me you won't freak out."

"I promise." Elsa studied Anna's face for a moment before breathing in deeply and summoning snowflakes out of her hand. Anna gasped and looked at Elsa with wide eyes.

"Do it again!"

"Huh?" Elsa asked, still surprised that Anna didn't freak out.

"That was magic! Do it again, do the magic!"

"Ok." Elsa made a ball of snow materialize between her hands and shot it up at the ceiling so it burst, sending flurries of snowflakes falling on them.

"This is amazing!" Anna shouted as she danced around in the snow. "This is the best birthday ever!"

Elsa watched as Anna stuck her tongue out to catch a snowflake. She may not be related to Anna but she had never felt closer to someone in her life before, and she loved it.


	2. Chapter 2

"...w, x, y and b? No, no z!" Elsa laughed lightly at Anna's little mistake as her lesson ended. The younger girl pouted and folded her arms across her chest. "I almost had it that time!"

"Don't worry dear, you'll get it soon." Her private tutor said as she gathered her things and hurried out the door, stopping only to curtsy to the queen. Elsa leaned against the doorframe, watching as Anna grabbed her pencils and notebook and skittered over to her.

"You wanna see what I did today, Elsie?" She asked eagerly.

"You know I do." Elsa smiled and took the notebook from Anna. She opened it to the most recent page and found the alphabet scrawled on the paper. "Didn't you write the alphabet yesterday?" She asked.

"Yes, but today I didn't make any mistakes and I wrote it in uppercase _and_ lowercase. I did gooder than yesterday!"

"Better." Elsa corrected. "You did better than yesterday. Gooder is not a word."

Anna stuck her tongue out at the older girl. "Whatever. Oh! I just remembered! Look at the bottom of the page." Elsa looked where Anna told her and saw a three-letter word scribbled there. "I can read it too!" Anna stood on her tiptoes so she could look over Elsa's arm. "C-A-T. Cat!"

"That's correct!" Elsa grinned and placed a chaste kiss on Anna's head, earning a giggle in response. She closed the notebook and handed it back to Anna. "Come on," She said, draping an arm across Anna's shoulders and leading her out of the room, "You need to wash up for dinner."

Anna groaned. "Do I have to?"

"Yes. I seriously don't understand how you can have all those stains on your dress when you've been sitting in a room all day."

Anna giggled. "I have my ways." She looked down and tugged on her dress. "Why do I have to wear this thing anyway?"

"You can't walk around with nothing on."

"Why not? I didn't have to wear anything back at home."

Elsa looked down at the girl. "Well here in Arendelle you can't go anywhere completely bare."

"Why?"

"Because...," Elsa was having a bit of difficulty trying to find an explanation, "Because that's the rule." She finished lamely.

"It's a stupid rule."

They reached Anna's room and Elsa opened the door, gasping at the scene in front of her. "Anna! Your room is a mess! I told you to pick up these clothes two days ago!" Elsa rushed inside and started picking up the items while Anna stood by the open door, biting her lip with tears stinging her eyes. Elsa looked up at her and sighed. Something she learned early on about Anna was that she would tear up at the slightest raise of her voice. Never being around any humans her whole life, other than her parents, really took a toll on the girl and her emotions. Everything was so new to her and she was still getting used to things, including being scolded.

Anna sniffled and wiped away her tears with the back of her hand. "I'm sorry E-Elsa. I'll clean it up. Please don't be mad at me."

"I'm not mad." Elsa cooed, walking toward Anna. "I was just a little surprised at the mess, but I'm not mad." Anna wound her arms tightly around Elsa's waist and buried her face in the blonde's shoulder. Anna whimpered while Elsa rubbed soothing circles on her back. Something Anna had gotten used to quickly, and was very fond of, was comfort from Elsa. "You still need to get washed up for dinner." Elsa said after had Anna released her from her grip. She tapped the strawberry blonde's nose and made her way to Anna's wardrobe.

"Can I wear one of your dresses Elsa? They're really pretty." Anna sat on her bed and watched as Elsa searched through her wardrobe.

"Flattering me is not going to get you anywhere sweetheart." Elsa said without looking at her.

"Aw come on! I can't steal one, I can't convince you to make me one? What's it gonna take me to get one of those dresses?"

Elsa finally pulled out a dark blue dress and laid it out on the bed. "I'll make you one when I think you're ready. Now get changed quickly. Gerda's going to have a fit if we're late." Elsa glided to the bathroom and washed her hands before getting a washcloth to run it under some water. "Come here Anna, I need to wash your face!" She called but got nothing in response. "Anna?" She set the washcloth down and returned to Anna's room to find her struggling to get into the dress. Elsa bit her lip to suppress her laughter but it didn't work well.

Anna groaned. "Elsa stop laughing and help me!" The platinum blonde pulled the dress down and laughed when Anna's head popped out. The redhead breathed a sigh of relief. "Whew! Glad that's over. As you can see, I'm still getting used to putting these on."

Elsa chuckled. "You're silly." She glanced at Anna's messy hair. "Great! Not only do I have to wash your face, now I have to redo your hair. Why did you take it out of the braids?"

Anna pouted. "I don't like the braids."

"Well I do. They're cute on you." Elsa walked Anna to the bathroom and picked up the washcloth. She cupped Anna's cheek in her hand and gently wiped her face clean. She set the washcloth back down and picked up a brush. She brushed and parted Anna's hair and began braiding it, much to the redhead's annoyance. A knock was heard just as Elsa was finishing up Anna's hair.

"Queen Elsa, Little Princess, dinner is in five minutes. Please do not be late." Kai said through the door.

"Thank you for the reminder Kai. We'll be down shortly." Elsa replied.

"Yes, Your Majesty."

Elsa heard his footsteps recede down the hall. She turned to Anna to see that her nose was scrunched up and her arms were crossed. She sighed. "Anna, what's wrong now?"

"Why do they insist on calling me that?"

"What? Little Princess?"

"Yes. Why do they call me that?"

"Well, you're basically a princess but the council feels that it's not right to call you Princess Anna, since you aren't a real princess. Plus, there would be outrage if the people found out that you were deemed an actual princess, some of them are already unhappy that you live with me at the castle, they think it's not fair. So everyone opted to just give you the nickname Little Princess instead. Does that make sense?"

Anna stared at her blankly before nodding. "Yep, makes sense."

Elsa chuckled. "Let's just go to dinner."

"I'll race you!"

Anna was already out the door and down the hall before Elsa called after her. "Anna, stop running!" But it was too late, the strawberry blonde was sliding down the banister. By the time Elsa got to the dining room, Anna was already being served. She took her place at the head of the table (to the right of Anna) and looked through the pile of letters waiting on the table for her. She sighed as she read the first one.

"What is it Elsie?" Anna asked.

"Well you know how my birthday was a few days ago? The kingdom and other kingdoms were upset I didn't have a ball and are still- Oh my gosh Anna! Use your fork!" Elsa grabbed her napkin and started wiping Anna's face and hands but Anna pushed her away.

"I don't need your help Elsa. I'm fine. Now, what were you saying about a ball?"

"Oh, right! Well everyone is still complaining I didn't have a ball so I've decided that I'll have one."

Anna gasped. "Really?! Can I come?"

"Yes, of course you can come." Anna cheered. "I was thinking maybe, since you're old enough, we could accept France's offer to bring wine."

Anna laughed nervously. "Yeah, on a totally unrelated note, I've got something really important to tell you." She took in a deep breath. "I'm not actually eighteen. I lied. I'm only fifteen."

Elsa blinked once. Twice, before a small smile spread across her lips. "That explains so much."

"Huh?"

"It all makes sense now. Why you're so small and why you still jump on your bed. I mean, what kind of an eighteen-year-old jumps on their bed? Actually, I don't think fifteen-year-olds do that either."

"Hey!"

"And it also explains why you only reach my shoulder and every time you want to hug Kristoff around his neck he has to pick you up."

As if on cue, the doors of the dining room opened and Kristoff walked in, leaving a trail of snow behind him. "Sorry I'm late. And sorry about the snow."

"Kristoff!" Anna jumped up from her chair and raced over to the ice harvester. He picked her up and she wound her arms around his neck, sighing at the warmth that radiated off of him. Anna had a huge crush on Kristoff and it didn't take a genius to figure that out. Now that Elsa knew that Anna was fifteen (and Kristoff was twenty-two like herself) it made the whole thing adorably funny and she couldn't help but laugh.

Kristoff put Anna back on her feet, the redhead whining a bit, and stared at Elsa as if she were crazy. The blonde continued laughing behind her hand, the looks she was getting from the both of them only making her laugh harder. She finally calmed down enough to speak. "I'm sorry about that." She said with a slight giggle.

"What was so funny?" Kristoff asked.

Elsa looked at Anna before returning her attention to Kristoff. "I'll tell you later." Anna skipped back over to her chair and began eating again while Kristoff took his seat. Elsa pushed the letters aside as two servants brought out hers and Kristoff's meals. "Anna, quit eating with your hands and eat with your fork like I showed you." Elsa said.

Anna sighed and picked her fork up with both hands. "Is this better?"

Elsa shook her head. "No, you only use one hand and you're supposed to put your napkin on your lap. And-"

"Oh come on Elsa, lighten up." Kristoff said. "She's still learning and you're being a bit harsh on her. She just wants to eat."

"Yeah, what he said!" Anna agreed.

Elsa sighed. "Okay, okay. I'll let it go this one time."

"So Anna," Kristoff said, turning to her, "What story do you want me to tell today?"

"I want you to tell the story of how you two met!" She said excitedly.

Kristoff and Elsa glanced at each other. "Oh? You do, do you?" Elsa teased.

Anna was bouncing in her seat. "Yes! Yes!"

"Oh, I don't know. That story's pretty intense and I don't think you're ready for it."

"Please, please, please?" Anna put on her best puppy dog face.

Elsa gave in. "Alright, we'll tell you." She took in a deep breath and began her story. "Four years ago, my parents died at sea in a terrible storm. I was so overwhelmed with the news of their death and the fact that I would have to become queen way before I was ready, that I ran away to the North Mountain. I built an ice palace and decided to stay there."

"Here's where I come in." Kristoff said. "I was up in the mountains, harvesting ice, when this snowstorm comes out of nowhere in the middle of summer." Anna was listening intently, taking in all that they would give her. "So I go to Wandering Oaken's Trading Post to get a few extra supplies, luckily I found some money on the floor, and head up to the North Mountain. When I saw Elsa's amazing Ice Palace, I couldn't hold it in. Now that's what I call ice. It was _flawless_. I could've stayed there for hours and would have if Sven hadn't tried to run up the stairs. After I made Sven sit at the base of the stairs, I went inside and-"

"That's when I first met Kristoff." Elsa said, interrupting him. "He eventually coaxed me into coming back to Arendelle-"

"Not after you tried making a snow monster to kick me out."

"But I didn't. So we returned to Arendelle and I made him Arendelle's Official Ice Master and Deliverer and here we are now."

Anna clapped. "That's the best story yet! Tell it again!"

Elsa laughed. "Maybe tomorrow but now it's time for you to take a bath and go to bed."

"But I'm not tired!"

"Too bad. Now come on, up the stairs you go."

Elsa got up from her chair with Anna doing the same. "Hey, Elsa, wait!" Kristoff called.

"Go on, I'll be up soon." Elsa told Anna. The strawberry blonde reluctantly exited the dining room and headed up the stairs to her room.

"So what were you going to tell me?" He asked.

Elsa started laughing again. "You know how Anna likes you, right?" Kristoff nodded. "Well I hope you didn't start having feelings for her."

"Why?"

"Because she's not eighteen. She's fifteen."

Kristoff paled.

* * *

><p>Anna jumped into her bed and grabbed her book full of nursery rhymes off of her bedside table. Elsa came out of the bathroom with a towel, drying herself off. "I don't understand why I had to stay with you while you took a bath." She complained.<p>

Anna sighed. "I already told you, Elsa, you were supposed to be looking out for the evil bubbles."

"Why did you have to keep splashing the water?"

"Because you're terrible at your job of keeping the bubbles away!"

Elsa shook her head, amused, and sat down next to Anna. "You want me to read you to sleep?" She asked as she reached for the book.

Anna pulled it away. "No! I'm going to read tonight." She opened it to a random page and began reading it. "Hey, diddle, diddle, the cat and the fiddle, the cow jumped over the moon; the little dog laughed to see such sport, and the dish ran away with the spoon." She grinned up at Elsa. "I can read just like you." She said proudly.

The blonde chuckled. "Well, I'm glad you can remember your favorite nursery rhyme, but you didn't really read it. You just said it from your memory."

"I did not! I read it off of the page."

"I'm afraid you didn't. You're not on the right page and the book is upside down."

Anna groaned. "I just wanted to be able to read like you."

"I know, sweetie, but don't worry, you'll be able to read someday." Elsa got to her feet and tucked Anna in before blowing out the candle and walking toward the door.

"Goodnight Elsie." Anna called after her.

Elsa smiled. "Goodnight, my Little Princess."

* * *

><p><strong>I do not own <em>Frozen<em>, all rights belong to Disney, nor do I own _Hey, Diddle, Diddle_. **

**I've decided that I _will_ turn this into a story, as you can see and I hope you all enjoy. Updates will NOT be regular.**


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